In the past decade, fund raising by the major national parties has increased tenfold with the greater emphasis on control of Congress.

As the House majority whip, DeLay wants Republicans to remain in control so he can retain the influential position in which he has gained the nickname "The Hammer."

But some who have received DeLay's message say he has taken the fund-raising efforts too far.

`The same old solicitation'

Dr. Joel Saland, an Albuquerque physician, said he got the call at work earlier this year. Initially, there was no mention of fund raising.

At first, Saland said, a woman told him he was nominated for the award. Saland asked why he deserved it. The woman didn't know, but Saland was to be one of 59 doctors from New Mexico who would serve as co-chairmen of the Physician Advisory Board.

Then the woman played a taped message telling Saland about DeLay's position on health care issues.

Next came a taped message from DeLay himself, asking that he be allowed to use the doctor's name in advertising promoting DeLay's ideas on the subject.

Then, the hammer -- Saland should send money.

Saland said he hung up. He's still waiting for his award.

"It's a crummy thing to get a call, presumably from Washington, D.C., and be told you're getting an award, and then you hear it's the same old solicitation," Saland said.

"It's a scam -- like being told you have won a television and you need to buy this car."

Controversial fund-raising techniques are not new for DeLay.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice declined to investigate allegations by a watchdog group that DeLay offered meetings with Bush administration officials in exchange for campaign contributions.

According to the allegations, DeLay made the promises in a taped telephone message sent to businessmen, asking them to serve as "an honorary member of our new Business Advisory Council."

AMA calls it `very misleading'

There have been no similar complaints about the messages sent to physicians. But the American Medical Association has issued a statement saying they are "very misleading."

DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella said the congressman would not comment about the telephone solicitations. He referred questions to Steve Schmidt, NRCC communications director.

Schmidt said the message to doctors clearly states at the beginning that the telephone call is about fund raising. He would not, however, play the message or provide a transcript.

The committee will continue making the calls to doctors in Houston and around the country, he said.

In Houston, no one has come forward to criticize the efforts. Perhaps they fear that criticism of DeLay could hurt their efforts to get federal emergency money for the flood-damaged Texas Medical Center.

That is not the case in New Mexico.

In two writings by columnist Jim Belshaw of the Albuquerque Journal, Saland and other physicians complain about getting the calls. Each said there was no mention of a solicitation until after the doctor had been told of the award.

"I don't want to be a Texan, but in this case I wish I were so that my vote could speak out against this jerk," Dr. Elizabeth Blewitt is quoted as saying about DeLay.